Casanova

Head down to Quay Street and you'll find yourself in one of Cardiff's better-kept secrets for Italian food. Casanova does that rare thing: it takes classic dishes seriously without any pretension. You're looking at proper pasta that's cooked right, seafood that tastes like it knows where it came from, and wine lists that actually make sense. The room itself has that warm, lived-in feel—all terracotta tones and intimate corners—where you can genuinely hear your mate across the table. It's the kind of place that works just as well for a Friday night with mates as it does for getting someone impressed on a first date. The kitchen clearly knows what it's doing, and the staff move with the kind of ease that comes from actually caring about what they're serving.